Radio, livestream media react to firing of Mets GM Jared Porter

The New York Mets have fired general manager Jared Porter after explicit texts sent to a foreign female reporter in 2016 were revealed.

The Jared Porter era in Queens is already over, and there’s no one to blame but him.

According to an ESPN story from Jeff Passan and Mina Kimes, the now-former New York Mets general manager sent a significant number of unwanted and explicit text messages to a foreign female reporter in 2016, including an erotic image of himself.

The story went live on Monday night, and by Tuesday morning, Porter was without a job. New team owner Steve Cohen revealed via Twitter that the organization had terminated him, citing that there “should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior.”

The act of Porter sending the text messages occurred when Jared was working for the Chicago Cubs. Now in 2021, the story is coming to light, and you can’t help but wonder if many others knew of Porter’s inappropriate behavior all along.

Gregg “Gio” Giannotti of WFAN’s “Boomer and Gio” touched on this topic.

“When I think about these things, the timeline of it and everything else, I understand that ultimately it doesn’t matter [when it occurred], Jared Porter did these things, they were found out now, the Mets had to do something now,” Gio said. “But I wonder, did this come to light in 2016? Who knew about it in 2016? Could anything have been done in 2016?”

“Ultimately, as I said, it doesn’t matter, Jared Porter did what he did, it was gross, it was disgusting, it was a firable offense, and he is fired,” Gio later added. “But, sometimes I think about the timeline of these things, how did we even get to this point when it happened five years ago now?”

With Porter out of the organization for something he did while with another ballclub, it’s interesting to think that this is now the second consecutive offseason where the Mets hired and then fired someone due to an act committed elsewhere. Last year, the organization brought in Carlos Beltran to be the new manager but parted ways with him before the season due to his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.

“[The situation is] definitely unfortunate…back to back years that they’re in this sort of situation, two different regimes though, it’s not the same guys doing the hiring,” Gio said. “But, for a Mets fan, it’s tough because it feels like instability in the organization.”

Doug Williams, Andy Martino, and Jim Duquette of SNY spoke on the firing of Porter during an SNY breaking news livestream Tuesday morning.

“[The firing] was not a decision that the Mets took lightly,” Martino stated. “This news surprised them, just like it surprised the rest of us on Monday…when the ESPN story came out, the Mets basically knew what we knew as readers of the story. So, they were trying to gather information, they were trying to be deliberate and make the right decision. Obviously, number one, being mindful of the inappropriateness of what happened, the inappropriateness of Porter’s actions, and if there was any way potentially forward with him in the organization.

“Obviously, they came to the conclusion very quickly here — there was not a way forward…they ended up very quickly doing the right thing.”

The bottom line is that the Mets needed to separate themselves from Porter and there’s no doubt about it. These acts, including the texts and pictures sent, are inexcusable and unacceptable. It’s also incredibly depressing to hear how Porter’s actions played a role in her eventual decision to quit the industry.

All in all, Cohen made the right move to part ways with him.

It’s unclear what Porter’s future will hold, but that is no longer the Mets’ problem.